Improvement in button-hole-stitching attachments for sewing-machines



A. -H.. TAIT, Jr. Button-Hole Stitching Attachment for SewingeMachineNo. 210,370. Patented Nov. 26,1878.

- relative position.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS H. TAIT, JR, OF JERSEY CITY HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO EDWARD HEM, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUTTON-HOLE-STITCHING ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 210,370, dated November26, 1878; application filed March 23, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS H. TAIT, J r., of Jersey City Heights, inthe county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Attachments to Sewing-Machines for StitchingButton-Holes, of which the following is a description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification.

This invention is more particularly designed to be used as an attachmentto sewing-machines for stitching button-holes, but is also applicable inpart to over-seam or edge finishing or stitching-as, for instance, theedgefinishing of kid gloves and other articles.

The invention consists in novel constructions and combinations of ahook-bar having three double or six reverse single movements,

- for carrying the shuttle-thread around the tain means forautomatically actuating said plate when stitching round the ends of abutton-hole, substantially as herein described.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a partly-sectionalfront view of a sewin g-machine in part, having my invention applied,with the sewing-needle as rising but not yet out of the cloth. Fig. 2 isa sectional side view at right angles to Fig. 1 of the same, with theneedle and other parts in like position. Fig. 3 is a similar view toFig. 2, but showing the needle as farther raised and out of the cloth,and with other parts or devices used in my invention as occupying achanged Fig. 4 is a partly-sectional front view, showing the needle asstill farther raised, and the position of other working parts changed tocorrespond. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line on a, and Fig. 6a further horizontal section on the line y y. Fig.

7 is a perspective view of a hook-bar, with attached hook forming partof this invention.

A represents the cloth bed or table of a double or lock-stitch shuttlesewing-machine; B, its reciprocating needle-bar, working through theusual face or head plate 0 and b, the sewing-needle carried by said bar.D is the presser-foot, and D its bar.

The needle-thread is represented by the letter 0 and the shuttle-threadby the letter d.

Carried in a sliding or adjustable manner, to compensate for differentthicknesses of material under operation by the presser-foot D, is anupright bar, E, which has a stationary position when the machine is inoperation by its upper end resting against the under side of theface-plate or head G, a spring, 0, servin g to keep said bar pressed upagainst said plate or head. This bar has on its front side guide loopsor eyes f, within which, so as to be capable of sliding up and downtherethrough, is a bar, G, which is pressed downward by a spring, g. Theupper end of said bar G is formed with a head, h, through which, on theneedle side of the presser-foot bar 1), is projected a horizontal pin orpivot, e, ar ranged in a transverse direction to the general or straightfeed by the toothed dog or feedin g-bar H, which feeds in direction ofthe arrow 2. Fitted to rock on this pin or pivot z, in rear of the headh, is asleeve, 7a, to which a hook-bar, I, is secured by a pivot, 1,arranged at right angles to the pivot z. By means of these two pivots iand l the hook-bar I, which carries the hook m, that engages with theshuttle-thread to produce the required stitch, is free to have a twofoldmotion indirections at right angles with each other-that is to say,backward and forward in transverse relation with the main feed andbackward and forward in direction of said feed, or thereaboutbesides anup-and-down motlon due to the vertically-sliding bar G, by which it iscarried.

The means by which these several motions are or may be obtained will nowbe explained in connection with the needle I) and its operating-bar B.

When the needle I), after having passed down through the cloth andformed a loop of the needle-thread, through which the shuttlethread ispassed, reaches a position in its ascent equal to about three-fourths ofits upstroke, or thereabout, and before it leaves the cloth, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2, a pin or projection, 12,011 the needle-bar strikes andpasses a spring cam or latch, M, secured to the face of the hook-bar I,and shifts the latter on its pivot Z. By this movement arear leg, 0,forming part of the hook-bar I, is moved from a stationary rest, 1',which projects from the bar E. The spring g then throws the bar G, andwithit the hook-bar I, down, the rest 1' beiu g received within a slot,8, in the hook-bar I for the purpose, and a spring, a, at the same timeacting on the hook-bar I to throw or keep it pressed outward in areverse direction to the main feed. This puts the hook-bar I inposition, as shown in Fig. 3, for the hook at to engage with theshuttle-thread, which latter is held obliquely across the path of thehook by a downward stud or projection, a on the needle-plate, to insurethe engagement of the descending hook with the shuttle-thread. As theneedle-bar then continues its upward movement to the position shown inFi 4, the pin a of the needle-bar, moving up within a slot in thelatter, and striking an extremity or portion, (d, (see Figs. 2 and 3,)on the front side of the pivot I, carries the hook-bar I up, subject toits guidance by the rest 1' in the slot 8, which rest serves, as thehook-bar I continues its upward movement, to bear against an inclinedsurface, I), of a cam-like portion, a, of said bar, to move the latteragainst the pressure of the spring a at back of the bar; and as thelower end of the slot 8 rises above the rest a" the pin a, acting at aleverage on lifting portion a relatively to the pivot l, and the side ofthe cam-portion 0, bearing against the rest 1', cause the hook-bar to beswung toward the front of the machine. After this the hook-bar I remainsstationary, supported by its leg 0 upon the rest 0", till the needlepasses through theloop, when the pin it bears against an inclined edgeprojection, s, on the face of the hook-bar, and throws the hook out ofthe loop, causing the shuttle-thread to be passed round the needle,after which the needle continues its descent, to assist in completingthe stitch, and the needle again rises to operate as before.

The hook-bar I, it will be observed, moves in three diii'erent double orsix reverse single directions, and makes both its up and down movementswhen the needle is 011 the rise. It may be constructed so that theneedle-bar will move it in both directions in line with the feed and thespring a be dispensed with.

To give proper direction to the feed when stitching button-holes, Iinterpose between the presser-foot I) and the cloth an oblong plate, J,of roughened or serrated construction on its under surface, to secure afirm hold on the cloth. This plate has an oblong opening, (1, through itin direction of its length, through which a short tube, 0, carried bythe presser-foot, projects to guide the plate when in motion, the needleI) and hook m working through said tube. In or on the upper surface ofthis plate is a guiding groove or way, f, consisting of two straightparallel courses, arranged on opposite sides of the open ing d, andconnected at their ends by semicircular toothed portions g Duringthemovement of this plate along with the cloth, as et fected by thefeedingdog I1, said plate is guided in a straight direction, in part bythe tube 0 and in part by a spring-pawl, K, connected with thepresser-foot and bearing down or in one straight line or course of thewayf, to stitch one side or edge of the button-hole. The said plate isthen turned half-round, corresponding with either of its toothedportions g, to stitch around one end of the button-hole, after which itis guided in a straight direction again, the other straight line orcourse of the way f passing under the presser-foot, and subsequentlysaid plate turned half round again, corresponding with the other toothedportion, g, to stitch around the other end of the button-hole. Saidplate J and the cloth which its lower roughened surface gripes areturned, when stitching the ends of the buttonhole, by the engagement ofthe pawl K with the toothed portions g of the plate, and by theoperation which takes place of said pawl successively, in reversedirections alternately, by the needle-bar B and the rising-and-fallingbar G, which carries the hook-bar I. Thus the pawl K is carried by anupright holder, K, which is fitted by a dovetail construction of itsbase within a longitudinal slot, h, in the presserfoot, to admit of thepawl and its holder moving lengthwise of the presser-foot. A rod, 2',attached to the presser-foot and passing through the pawl-l1 olde1',mayalso serve to guide the pawl and its holder in their longitudinalmovement relatively to the presserfoot.

Uponthe needle-barB isaproj ection, Z, which, when the needle-bar comesdown, acts upon the back of the upper end of the pawl-holder K, andmoves the latter, together with its pawl K, so that when the latterengages with either toothed portion of the plate J it shifts said platethe distance of one or more teeth in a circular direction, after which,and as the projection Z rises out of the way with the ascent of theneedle-bar, the bar G, which carries the hook-bar, descends, and, bymeans of an arm or projection, m, 011 said bar G coming in contact withan incline, a, on the front of the pawl holder K, causes the pawl K tobe returned and made to engage with another tooth on the portion g, forthe purpose, as the needle-bar again descends, of continuing thecircular feed of the plate J and cloth with which the plate, by itsroughened surface, engages.

If desired, instead of the slotted feeding plate J being turnedautomatically, as described, around the tube c as the ends of the slot(1 successively come up against said tube,

it and the cloth or material which it gripes or holds may be turned byhand on the tube 0, as a bearing or guide. 4

1. The combination, with the needlebar provided with the projection n,of the hookbar I, having the lifting-extremity a and incline s, thespring cam or latch M, the pivots 'i l, arran ged at ri ght an gles witheach other, and the rising-and-falling bar G and its controlling-springg, substantially as specified.

2. The hook-bar I, having a rising-and-fallin g motion, constructed witha rear leg, 0, and slot 8, in combination with the bar E, provided withthe rest r, the bar G, and the pivots i and l, essentially as described.

3. The combination of the rising-and-falling hook-bar I, having acam-like projection, c, on its face, the bars E and G, the pivots i andl, and the spring a, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the presser-foot bar D, of the bar E, theface-plate or head 0, the bar G, connected with the bar E by one or moreguides, f, the spring g, the pivot i, the sleeve 7c, the pivot l, andthe book-bar I, essentially as described.

5. The combination of the needle-plate provided with a stud orprojection, a and the hook-bar I, substantially as and for the .purposeherein described.

6. The combination of the presser-foot provided with a tubularprojection, c, with the slotted feed-plate having a roughened undersurface and fitted to the said projection on the presser-foot,substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

7. The independentfeedplaie J, constructed with a longitudinal slot, d,in it, and having its under surface serrated and its upper surfaceformed with a groove or way, f, running in parallel courses andterminating in opposite end toothed semicircular portions g, incombination with the sliding pawl-holder K, the spring-pawl K, theneedle-bar having a projection, Z, the rising-and-falling bar G, havinga projection, m, and the presser-foot provided with a tubularprojection, e, essentially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

A. H. TAIT, JR.

